Study Desk

So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the harm that Hadad inflicted; and he felt disgust for Israel and reigned over Aram.

And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Behold, I am going to tear the kingdom away from the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes

(but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),

'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes;

'But to his son I will give one tribe, so that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.

'Then it shall be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by keeping My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

'So I will oppress the descendants of David for this, but not always.'"

Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard about this, he was living in Egypt (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon).

Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed.

And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "This is what you should say to this people who spoke to you, saying: 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' You should speak this way to them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!

And the king answered the people harshly, for he ignored the advice of the elders which they had given him,

But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

'This is what the LORD says: "You shall not go up nor fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return, every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me."'" So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned to go their way in accordance with the word of the LORD.

So the king consulted, and he made two golden calves; and he said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."

Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, the month that he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

And the king responded and said to the man of God, "Please appease the LORD your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God appeased the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.

"For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the way that you came.'"

Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.

"For a command came to me by the word of the LORD: 'You shall not eat bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way that you came.'"